Drought threatens Israel

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Israel is facing its worst drought in a decade.

The Water Authority announced this week that due to low precipitation, high irrigation consumption and pollution, the amount of usable water supplies in the country were at a 10-year low.

By year’s end, the authority said, the Sea of Galilee’s level looks likely to drop below the so-called “black line,” when pumping will have to stop as the machinery will no longer be submerged.

Officials said Israel may soon ration water, a measure last imposed in the late 1990s. The authority, meanwhile, is pressing ahead with desalination projects aimed at supplementing lost water supplies.

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